Stalin, Truman and the Ideological Differences Between the Superpowers
Beneath the surface of wartime cooperation, there was always a level of distrust between the western allies and U.S.S.R.
The United States economic system was based on Capitalism and the pursuit of freedom. This type of system was chosen through free and regular elections. Most Americans believed they had fought during WWII to preserve this political freedom for themselves and for the peoples of the world. American's saw America as “the land of the free” and thought it was their duty to protect individuals’ rights. One important right was the right to economic freedom. The American economic system was capitalist. Under a capitalist economy, industry and land is owned by private individuals or businesses who try to make profits out of production.
Russia’s ideology, however, was based on communism. In theory, this system places the good of the whole of society before individual interests. Industry and land should therefore be owned not by individuals, but by the state, and run for the benefit of society, not the profit of a few individuals. To achieve this, however, it had been necessary to develop a strong Communist Party with a firm control over the country.
In other words
Your Teachers Explanation of the Ideological Differences Between the US and the USSR
Comparison of America and Russia
| America | Russia |
|---|---|
| 1. The richest country in the world. | 1. The biggest country in the world. |
| 2. A democracy with free elections, led by an elected president. | 2. A one-party state led by a dictator. There were elections, but you could only vote for the Communist Party. |
| 3. Freedom of speech and belief. | 3. State control: censorship, secret police, terror and purges. |
| 4. Capitalism - private ownership and the right to make money. | 4. Communism - state ownership of the means of production, and the belief that wealth should be shared. |
| 5. Led by Truman, who believed that Communism was evil. | 5. Led by Stalin, who believed that capitalism was evil. |
| 6. Had the atomic bomb but was scared of Russia's conventional army. | 6. Had the biggest army in the world - but was angry that Truman had not warned that he was going to drop the atomic bomb. |
| 7. Feared the spread of communism throughout the world. | 7. Was angry because America and Britain had invaded Russia in 1918-19 to try to destroy communism. |
| 8. Angry about the Nazi-Soviet Pact that was a major factor in starting the Second World War. | 8. Believed that America and Britain had delayed opening the second front (attacking France) to let Germany and Russia destroy each other on the eastern front. |
| 9. Wanted reconstruction - to make Germany a prosperous democracy and a trading partner. | 9. Wanted to wreck Germany, take huge reparations for the damage done during the war, and set up a buffer of friendly states around Russia to prevent another invasion in the future. |